Originally posted by theChris from another forum someone was bragging about a SPL of 189dB and that the record was 243dB (one time) or 273dB.

i was wondering, what would be required to acheive an SPL of 273dB?

would a small neuclear explosion be enough?

i mean that's an pretty large intensity, unless you redefine 0dB...

Well, considering 0 dB is 20 micropascals, an atmosphere is 100 kPa, that implies one atmosphere of sound pressure is about 194 dB. I call bull**** on the first. So, continuing from this, 243 dB implies an overpressure of 300 atmospheres, and 273 dB 10,000 atmospheres. Titan missile silos are designed for 1000 psi (70 atmospheres), and they're supposed to withstand a direct hit from a nuclear strike.